Engineering Ethics Problems in a Developing Country - Ethical Engineering for International Development and Environmental Sustainability - page 224

SAPI ODMs Regional power control centre automatic data processing systems

(systemy automatycznego przetwarzania informacji okręgowych
dyspozycji mocy)

SOSAPI Operating system for automatic data processing system (system

operacyjny systemu automatycznego przetwarzania informacji)

SVDU Semigraphic visual display unit

SWIIS Supplemental Ways for Improving International Stability

TECIS Technology, Culture and International Stability

WPR Who has got power is right

Overview
The paper draws on case studies of the experiences of successful leading designers in
the areas of hardware, software, applications and research to discuss ethical issues
related to working in the ICT and automation industry in Poland. The situation both
before and after the political and economic changes in 1989 is considered, with devel-
opments in the subsequent period based almost exclusively on technology transfer. A
number of ethical theories are applied to analyse the action of leading designers, large
corporations post-1989 and the authorities in the state-owned firm Elwro pre-1989.
Similarities and differences in the experiences of leading designers in the two periods
are noted, and various suggestions for surviving while behaving ethically are made.

1 Introduction

The conditions in industry in Poland after World War II were largely determined by
the political conditions of the time. Poland belonged to the Communist Bloc and the
industrialised countries of the West restricted access to many modern industrial
products through the use of embargoes. Therefore, new industrial products in Poland
had to be developed there rather than purchased from the industrialised countries of
the West. In theory, there were no such barriers in the internal markets of the
COMECON (Council for Mutual Economic Assistance) countries. However, in
practice, a similar embargo policy was in operation in COMECON as well, and rela-
tively few interesting modern industrial products were available there.
Almost all modern automation and information and communication technology
(ICT) products were restricted by various embargoes, both official, for instance, for
modern computers, and unofficial, for instance, for up-to-date technical informa-
tion. Therefore, domestic ICT education and industrial centres were developed in
the 1950s. Elwro, the first Polish computer manufacturer, played a major role in the
Polish ICT industry and designed, manufactured and implemented most of the
domestic ICT equipment in Poland. Ethical issues related to the activities of Elwro
are therefore characteristic of the ICT industry in Poland as a whole and are rela-
tively easy to observe in the large scope of Elwro's activities. In addition, Poland
provides a good example of ethical issues in the ICT industry in former communist
countries due to the relative strength of this industry in Poland compared to other